Dinner with the Chefs

5/5/14

     Nestled in the Noble Square area just west of Lincoln Park, there is a small upscale restaurant called Ada Street. I was invited to dine here courtesy of Howaboutwe and I'm so happy to have found it because this place is a true gem. Justin and I were extremely excited for this date because we had "chef counter seats" which allowed us to face the chefs and interact with them throughout our dinner. The best thing about this date was not receiving a menu. I was so relieved about not having to make a difficult dinner decision and have each dish come as a surprise!

     I loved being able to experience and taste different types of food i would have never thought to order. The other amazing perk was the unlimited fancy drinks, and again I was able to experiment with different flavors and liquors I have never tried before. The staff was very inviting and warm and I can't wait to go back and try their brunch! We definitely felt like celebrities as we were handed drinks and plates left and right. Follow along and witness my closest chance at living like William and Kate.

The entrance is very romantic and dark-fancy, fancy!

As you can see from my drink, we were up close and personal. The rest of the restaurant was towards are back and they have a cute outside patio as well.

Here it begins, our first round of cocktails. Good thing I felt okay in the morning because I mixed so many types of alcohol that night. It would have been worth it anyway! 

Speaking in Tongues- Tito's vodka, Aperol, St. Germaine, lime (definitely my favorite cocktail of the night)

Whiskey Smash- Buffalo Trace, lemon, Demerara, Angostura

Like me, you probably thought this was chips and salsa. It's actually Yellowfin Tuna Tartare with avocado creme and housemade tortilla chips. Surprisingly it did taste similar to salsa. It was delicious and the entire time I just didn't think about the fact that it was raw.

My eyes lit up when I watched our server bring the Crispy Chicken Thighs which was accompanied by a bean salad and chimichurri. They were crunchy and had a delicious asian style flavor to them. Ada Street really knows how to dress up chicken wings!











In this next round of drinks, I ordered the more masculine looking one and these were both very strong and full of flavor. I especially loved the chile salt around the edges.

Ashes to Ashes- Pineapple infused Altos Reposado, Del Maguey Vida mezcal, lime, jalapeno honey syrup, chile salt

Miraflores- Pisco Porton, grapefruit, honey syrup, lime, egg white, Peychaud's

(the egg white may scare you away but they use it to add a little frothiness to the drink and it tastes smoother and light)

I was so busy eating and drinking that I forgot to take a picture of the Truffled Asparagus and Poached Egg. I luckily snagged this picture off of yelp. This dish was a unique pairing and I especially loved the truffle sauce on the asparagus.

To keep our buzz going, here came another round of drinks! Some drinks come out like something you would have not pictured at all from the description on the beverage menu.

Cigar Fizz- Pig's Nose Scotch, Laphroaig 10 Yr, honey, lemon, Peychaud's

Las Palabras- Del Maguey Vida mezcal, Green Chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino, lime

Next comes my favorite dish of the night (other than dessert). It's the Duck Confit which consists of cavatelli pasta, roasted duck, poached egg, spinach, and parmesan. I realized that I love duck more than I thought!

Dun, dun, dun, dun... more drinks!

Lincoln and Rose- Old Heaven Hill Bonded bourbon, honey, grapefruit, Pimiento Dram

Moscow Mule (one of Justin's go-to's)- Tito's vodka, house ginger syrup, Kina, lime

Although we were getting pretty full, we were still anxiously awaiting our main dish. It turned out to be a Bronzino white fish with Spaghetti Squash. This fish reminded me of tilapia and it was light yet extremely flavorful. This dish was not on their menu yet as they change it constantly due to seasonal changes.

Last but not least came the desserts and just when I thought I could not eat anymore, I just HAD to. Here's a little teaser...

If you were thinking Chocolate Hazelnut Toast topped with sea salt, then congrats!...you were spot on. I could not get my hands off of this. It was like eating warm Nutella on crunchy, savory bread. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!

We thought our meal was probably over when all of a sudden the Pretzel Bread Pudding came along. Bread pudding is one of my favorite desserts to order when I'm out at restaurants. It's warm, creamy, and reminds me of ice cream but has a thick texture to it. It was topped with homemade maple whip cream as well. I was SO excited about this dish. What a perfect way to end an amazing meal!

Since the chefs and servers were so kind, fun, and informative, Justin decided to buy everyone a round of shots. They chose Bourbon as it's their favorite liquor. After trying all types of different dishes, I did not turn down this shot either =).

Cheers to Ada Street, Howaboutwe, and a fabulous dinner! I'll definitely be back soon=)